presidential appointment

14 Stories

WH Abruptly Fires DoD Advisers, Installs Trump Allies

Trump loyalists Corey Lewandowski, David Bossie among new members of Pentagon advisory board

(Newser) - Less than a month after President Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper , the White House conducted an abrupt mass firing Friday of nine members of a Pentagon advisory board, putting in their place Trump allies. Per Politico , the removed members of the Defense Business Board received a terse email from...

Senate Control Matters, but Not Why You Think
Senate Control Matters,
but Not Why You Think
OPINION
Oct 31, 2014 12:25 PM CDT

Senate Control Matters, but Not Why You Think

Jonathan Chait: It's not about legislation, it's about presidential nominations

(Newser) - Republicans look poised to take control of the Senate, and there's all kinds of analysis out there about what this means for President Obama and his legislative agenda. You can safely ignore it all, writes Jonathan Chait at New York . The fact is, which party controls the Senate doesn'...

Today's Supreme Court Case May Reverberate 'Centuries'

Justices consider Obama's recess appointments; weighty decisions loom this term

(Newser) - The Supreme Court isn't taking on a lot of cases over the next 100 days—in fact, this March, it will review just half its usual caseload, the Washington Post reports. But the cases it is examining are big ones. Today, for instance, the court is considering just when...

Hey, Lefties: This Supreme Court Should Scare You
Hey, Lefties: This Supreme Court Should Scare You
OPINION
Aug 14, 2011 10:25 AM CDT

Hey, Lefties: This Supreme Court Should Scare You

Obama too timid on federal nominees, with big issues coming

(Newser) - With big issues working their way toward the Supreme Court on such vital issues as health care reform, same-sex marriage, affirmative action, and police stops of undocumented immigrants, liberals need to be on guard, writes longtime court-watcher Emily Bazelon for the New York Times . Sure, there are solid progressives, such...

So Just Who Is This Bill Daley?
So Just Who Is
This Bill Daley?
Jan 8, 2011 9:32 AM CST

So Just Who Is This Bill Daley?

Profiles: He's a 'bare-knuckles' whip-cracker—and a disappointment to liberals

(Newser) - William Daley has terms like "longtime Democratic operative," "former Clinton secretary of commerce" and "Chicago political scion" thrown about him, but the New York Times takes a closer look at President Obama's new right-hand guy. He's “a bare-knuckles administrator ... someone who not only makes the...

Shelby Drops Holds on Obama Nominees

Alabama Republican says he was just trying to get the president's attention

(Newser) - Richard Shelby has decided to release the holds he's been using to block more than 70 Obama nominees in hopes of scoring two lucrative projects for his home state. The Alabama senator, who was hammered by Democrats for obstructionism, said he used the holds "to get the White House's...

Harry Reid Changes Tune on Recess Appointments

Urges Obama to skirt GOP holds

(Newser) - Harry Reid thinks its time for Barack Obama to make some recess appointments, a procedural move the majority leader vehemently opposed when George Bush was in power. “What alternative do we have?” Reid said last week, exasperated over Richard Shelby’s move to place a hold on all of...

Obama Names Transgender Appointee

Amanda Simpson will serve in Commerce Dep't

(Newser) - President Obama has named Amanda Simpson to serve as a senior technical adviser to the Commerce Department, making her one of the first transgender presidential appointees. Simpson, a member of the National Center for Transgender Equality’s board of directors, is former test pilot who previously worked as deputy director...

Fox Lashes Health Pick as as 'Too Fat to Serve'

(Newser) - Fox News ripped into President Obama's choice for surgeon general yesterday for being too fat for the job. "Enough fat for my next guest to say 'fat chance' for Dr. Regina Benjamin to even be considered," said host Neil Cavuto. The guest? Not a public health expert or...

Attacking Nominees Demeans Court
 Attacking 
 Nominees 
 Demeans Court 
OPINION
May 27, 2009 3:53 PM CDT

Attacking Nominees Demeans Court

(Newser) - The political attack ads popular in general elections have a profoundly negative effect on the public’s view of the Supreme Court when used during the nomination process, James L. Gibson writes fror Miller-McCune.com. “Politicized confirmation processes can indeed damage the institution of the US Supreme Court itself,...

Obama: Court Pick Will Go Beyond 'Ivory Tower' Smarts

(Newser) - President Obama said today he would be announcing his nominee to the Supreme Court “soon” and hopes to have the new justice confirmed by Congress’ August recess, Bloomberg reports. In a C-SPAN interview, Obama laid out his criteria, which includes not only “ivory tower learning” but also empathy....

Prez Taps NYC Health Head to Lead CDC

Frieden will steer country's response to swine flu

(Newser) - President Obama today appointed Dr. Thomas Frieden as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, turning to New York City's health commissioner to deal with the swine flu outbreak and other major health issues. Frieden has served as commissioner for the past 7 years, where he led a...

High Court Pick's Gender, Race Not an Issue: Poll

Proportion wanting female appointee shrinks from 2005

(Newser) - Americans don’t feel strongly that the next Supreme Court appointee should be a woman, Hispanic, or black, Gallup Poll results suggest: most say it’s a non-issue. Some 64% say it “doesn’t matter” whether the appointee is a woman; 68% say it doesn’t matter whether he...

Obama Hopes to Replace Souter by Oct.

(Newser) - President Obama said today he will replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter with someone who shares the president's respect for "constitutional values" and hopes to have "him or her" seated by the start of the next term in October. In a dramatic flourish, Obama interrupted White House...

14 Stories